PHILTA hopes Alex Eala joins SEA Games, Filipinos eye tennis revival

The Philippine Tennis Association (PHILTA) is hoping that top player Alex Eala can join the Philippine team for the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December.

PHILTA executive director Tonette Mendoza expressed hope that Eala, currently ranked World No. 65 by the WTA, may be able to fit the SEA Games into her tight schedule and potentially win a gold medal following three bronze medals in the 2021 Hanoi edition.

Eala seems excited about the possibility of participating despite her busy schedule, according to Mendoza.

Meanwhile, Jed Olivarez, a member of the Philippines Davis Cup team, expressed optimism that Filipinos will continue to climb in the promotional ranking of the premier international team event in men's tennis after being relegated to Group V last year.

Inspired by Eala's exploits, the Davis Cup team aims to carry the momentum from their recent promotion to Group III and face teams like Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Singapore.